|
|
|
|
|
|
Antonella
Maiolo, a teacher, after having been an active supporter of the Radical
Party for many years, has now entered Forza Italia. Having been elected
at the Milan town council, where she is the president of the Committee
of Social Services, she is now a candidate in regional elections. We
have interviewed her at the eve of the elections, addressing some issues
with her not only at local, but also national level. L.M. - Mrs. Maiolo, what is the main reason why you
entered into politics? M. - It is a passion I have been cultivating since
I was a girl, through reading and friends. Then life took me to make
another choice, to become a teacher, but in the end the old passion
came up again, and therefore I accepted to be a candidate for the Milan
town council and I was elected town councillor. L.M. - And now you are going to take part in regional
elections... M. - Just so. After three years as a town councillor,
I will run for Regione Lombardia. As far as laws are concerned, the
Region has a much more important role than municipal administration,
and therefore I think my choice represents a sort of continuity with
the present. L.M. - From what the press says, mayor Albertini would
have tried to keep you with him, that is, he would have put a veto on
the candidacy of some of his councillors for the next regional elections... M. - I don't know that, but if it were true, I would
be very delighted, because it would represent an appreciation for the
work we have carried out in the last few years. L.M. - Let's talk about your platforms. What do you
propose as a political party?
L.M. - Talking about alliances, could you say which
are those you prefer?
M. - Of course, I would have been in favour of an alliance
between Polo and the movement of Pannella-Bonino, since I have always
shared with the Radicals, which are a transnational party, some of the
most important civil fights carried out in our country. L.M. - What are, in your opinion, the reasons for the
failure of agreements? M. - To say the truth, it is difficult to say whether
the breakdown in the talks was due to some incompatibilities that could
not be solved, or if this is only a problem of time, that is, that an
agreement will be reached before general elections of 2001. L.M. - Even though greatly appreciating Bonino, a woman
who with her activity was a credit to all women, I think she is too
conditioned by Pannella's impetuous and unpredictable personality. M.- This is a common opinion but, leaving aside the
differences between the two politicians, I think Bonino, rather than
Pannella, is to be blamed for the failure of agreements. It's her that
now, thanks to the result of European elections, plays a prominent role
in talks. L.M. - Well, we shall see. Coming back to you, you
have always dealt with social problems; what is now your ambition? M. - I want to continue to deal with these issues,
but without leaving aside the problem of vocational training which is
very important to me, as a teacher. As the president of thecouncil committee
of social services I came into contact with a reality I didn't know,
and I hope this experience will be useful for my future activity. L.M. - In short, you intend to deal with concrete problems... M. - I am a concrete person but I also believe that
women, when entering politics, should not be exclusively delegated to
social issues, for which they are supposed to be prone. The time of
extreme specialization is now over, and women should be given the possibility
of also dealing with other issues. However, women who will run for next
elections are still a small number, even in my party, Forza Italia. L.M. - Another fundamental issue in our society is
immigration. How do you think this issue should be dealt with? M. - Our country has already a number of laws that
regulate immigration, but the problem is that they are not enforced,
as they should be. It is right to accept a certain number of immigrants
who come in Italy to do jobs Italians do not want to do anymore; we
certainly must behave in a civilized way with these new workers and
offer them all necessary assistance, but it is also fundamental that
we control immigration. L.M. - Moreover, one should also take into account
the problem of cultural barriers that unavoidably slow down integration. M. - Of course, we must respect all those immigrants
who work honestly and try to become integrated in our country. Unfortunately,
this does not always happen and the Left even facilitates their entry
in Italy as it aims at giving the right to vote to all immigrants, in
order to have their approval. L.M. - Let's not forget that in Italy there are some
millions unemployed people and that, mainly in some Southern regions,
there are often inhuman working conditions. Maybe it would be better
to try to solve first these problems and then deal with the problem
of immigration. M. - The priority is to create new jobs, without falling
in that form of welfarism that the government has been adopting for
years without creating a real development in many parts of Italy. It
is thus indispensable to address this type of social trouble that still
affects many Italians, finally adopting those reforms the parliament
still has not brought about. L.M. - It is now time to conclude our interview. We
thank your for your helpfulness and we wish you successfully overcome
the difficulties of this electoral campaign. |
|
|
Leadership Medica®
Mensile di scienza medica e attualita`
Copyright 1997© All Rights Reserved